IT was sad to read the letter from a contemporary earlier this week (I am also a pensioner) which showed such a lack of appreciation for the contribution immigrants make to the NHS.

Without the foreign doctors, nurses, care workers etc who keep our NHS “on the road” it would be in an even worse state than it is.

We are finally beginning to appreciate all the damage done by Government spending cuts and wholesale reorganisation.

Wages and conditions have deteriorated to such an extent that we have become dependent on foreign workers from poorer countries where the low wages and poor working conditions that now prevail in our NHS are all that health workers expect.

We prop up our own NHS with staff from poorer countries where their contribution is desperately missed.

This puts the complaints about “immigrants” using the NHS all the more regrettable.

Anne Leonard, on behalf of Defend Our NHS York, Fairway, York